The Secrets Between Us [Paperback]

ABSOLUTELY UNPUTDOWNABLE. This has got to be one of the best works of fiction published this year. I was hooked from the first page. The book is written in
the first person and Sarah is smitten from the moment she meets Alex. Reeling from the stillbirth of her baby son and the subsequent betrayel of her partner
Jamie with her best friend she sees a way out when Alex asks her to be his housekeeper in Somerset. Sarah thinks he's gorgeous and is deeply attracted to him and his gorgeous little boy Jamie. What happens when she arrives is not at all as she imagines and although this is quite a dark novel it is superbly told and whilst l guessed the outcome just before the end I was gripped with this plot and was desolate when I finished the book. Without a doubt one of the best books l have
read in 2011.

The lead character is Sarah, a woman who has been through a lot of emotional turmoil which causes her to make a decision she usually would never make. After the stillbirth of her son and consequent end of her relationship with her boyfriend, Sarah goes on holiday with her sister May and husband Neil. There, she meets Alexander and his young son Jamie. It turns out Jamie's mum isn't on the scene, and soon Sarah and Alex become more than friends. But when Sarah moves in and starts to find out more about Alex's absent wife Genevieve and her sudden and strange disappearance, her mind starts playing tricks on her... wondering why Genevieve left and where exactly she's gone.

This is a fabulous novel that has so many twists and turns along the way, its impossible to guess the ending, something I really enjoyed! It's very dark, with Douglas building up the tension throughout the book and at points it really was a bit scary to read (I am a bit of a wimp!)! It certainly has the gothic overtones that are mentioned on the back, and I loved Douglas' complete control over the characters and the story. Sarah was a likeable character, a woman who has had an awful time looking for escape and someone to love her too. You do think she's naive deciding to move across the country to be with someone she doesn't know but it's a good start and straight away makes for interesting reading.

Alexander is the main male within the book, and I really couldn't make my mind up about him all the way through. Douglas' keeps you doubting whether he's a good man or not, and until the end, I couldn't say for definite whether he had done a terrible thing to Genevieve or not. I have to say I really liked the character of Jamie, the young child of Alexander who is struggling with the disappearance of his mummy. I didn't like the language he kept using, finding it a bit crass and rude for his age to be honest, but other than that, I feel Douglas got across his turmoil and feeling of bereftness well. Overall, they are a good cast to follow, and I also felt like Genevieve was very much part of the story even though she isn't about, simply because of how the story is written.

Douglas chooses to write the book in the first person narrative, and I think this worked perfectly for the book. It allows the reader to get into the mind of Sarah and therefore see the story from her point of view, and her uncertainty about everything, which in turns left me wondering what was going on and what to believe! I found the descriptions of Avalon, Alexander's house, quite brilliant, it was easy to imagine the old house to be frightening to Sarah, especially in the dark evenings! She also describes the town and surroundings well - it's definitely a book which relies on its narrative description to allow the reader to imagine everything in their mind as they are reading, which also goes to help understand Sarah's state of mind. I did find myself wondering why Sarah stuck around with Alexander despite her suspicions - most of us would probably run for the hills but I suppose it wouldn't have been an exciting read if she just jumped ship would it?!

I really could not put this book down as I was desperate to find out things were going to end for Sarah and Alexander, and whether we would find out what happened to Genenvieve, the mystery carrying on throughout the book. I have to say I did not see the ending coming at all - it was a complete bolt out of the blue and I have to give full credit to Douglas for managing to send me down the garden path with suspicions only to throw a massive curveball by the end! It was an incredibly enjoyable read, and is a real breakaway from Douglas' previous work, especially with the darker story within. I think this book will be a huge success, and I highly recommend it - one of my favourite reads of the year so far!

I've taken a while to reflect on this book before writing my review - every review I've read so far has been glowing, whereas for me, the book didn't quite work.

Sarah has been through a very difficult time, dealing with both a stillbirth and the betrayal of her partner sleeping with her best friend. She goes away with her sister to think things over, and whilst there she meets Alex, and his son Jamie. She seems immediately smitten - after just two meetings she sleeps with him, and agrees to move in. Although this arrangement is partly to help with Jamie, it's also a romantic arrangement, and I think this early point is where I lost my connection with the story. Sarah is meant to be damaged from her experiences, and yet she's jumping into a new relationship without a second thought.

Once moved in, Sarah realises that Alex's missing partner, Genevieve, was loved by all around her. They find it hard to understand why she left, and why she hasn't been in touch since, and so Sarah is understandably not made very welcome.

From here, the book isn't sure if it's trying to be a romance, a ghost story, or a thriller. Sarah and Alex's relationship is rather volatile, and there were many times when I wondered why she stayed. The ghost story doesn't quite evolve enough, and the thriller aspect seems stronger during the second half.

As a positive, Louise does manage a good sense of menace throughout, with many of the characters changing, and making you wonder who to trust.

It is a good story line, with quite a few twists, and it keeps going until the end. I just think I've seen it better done. However, with the amount of 5 star reviews, it must be working for most people, so it's probably worth a go.

Black Swan Rising is published by Bantam, and was sent to me as part of the Transworld Book Group Reading Challenge.